Preview: Cincinnati vs. Georgetown

March 13, 2013|Reuters

SportsDirect Inc.

Preview: Cincinnati vs. Georgetown

Cincinnati's double-overtime victory over Georgetown in the Big East tournament last season paved the way for the Bearcats' runner-up finish. The fifth-ranked Hoyas seek a bit of retribution Thursday when they meet Cincinnati in the quarterfinals again at Madison Square Garden. Georgetown held the Bearcats to 2-of-21 shooting from beyond the arc in last season's thriller, but suffered a 72-70 setback on Cashmere Wright's game-winning shot with 7.6 seconds left.

The top-seeded Hoyas got some payback when the teams met Feb. 15. That win was part of their 11-game winning streak. Although Georgetown saw that streak end at Villanova on March 6, it finished the regular season with a dominant 61-39 victory over Syracuse. The ninth-seeded Bearcats improved to 3-0 all-time in the second round of the Big East tournament with Wednesday's 61-44 win over Providence. Thursday's winner will meet No. 19 Pittsburgh or No. 20 Syracuse in Friday's semifinals.

TV: 12 p.m. ET, ESPN.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (22-10): Senior guard JaQuon Parker (11.3 points, 5 rebounds) recorded his second career double-double Wednesday and has emerged as a key player down the stretch for the Bearcats. Although the Bearcats are only 4-4 over their last eight games, Parker - who is shooting 40.9 percent on 3-pointers over that stretch - is averaging 13.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in that span after posting 10.5 and 3.6 marks, respectively, over his first 24 games. Cincinnati held Providence to 1-of-16 beyond the arc, the third time a Cincy opponent was held to one or zero 3-pointers.

ABOUT GEORGETOWN (24-5): The Hoyas overcame an 0-2 start in conference play to finish in a three-way tie for first. Coach John Thompson III was named Big East Coach of the Year while sophomore Otto Porter Jr. (16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2 steals) became the fourth player under Thompson to be awarded Big East Player of the Year. Although Porter led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals, Georgetown primarily relies on the conference's second-best field-goal percentage defense (37.7) and scoring defense (57.3), both of which rank among the top 11 in the country.

TIP-INS

1. Georgetown limited 19 of 29 opponents to fewer than 60 points.

2. Cincinnati has won six of its last nine Big East tournament games.

3. The Hoyas held Cincinnati to 16.7 percent 3-point shooting in February's meeting - one of five games in which the Bearcats shot worse than 20 percent.